> Akouma's Junk Drawer > by Akouma > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 1: A fight with a changeling > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight crouched behind a shrub, breathing hard. Chrysalis would hear it and find her any second, which made it all but impossible to stop as the stress overwhelmed her thought. Can't breathe have to breathe can't hide have to hide, her instinct screamed at her. Like she'd been dreading, a set of ink-black hooves landed hard enough to crack the earth in front of her. HAVE TO RUN. RUN THEN HIDE THEN RUN AGAIN. Thankfully for Twilight, teleporting was easy enough to be instinctual for her when she needed to run. She jumped through space to the furthest point she could see, well away from the clearing she’d been caught off guard in. “Twilight?” she heard from the woods in Applejack’s familiar drawl. It had come from even further out than her teleport had taken her. Rescue had arrived! Twilight ran to her friend, then ran past her without stopping. “No time to talk, AJ! Chrysalis is here! We need to leave!” “Oh, is she now,” Applejack said in a tone that made Twilight’s skin crawl. When she spoke next, her accent thickened to the point of parody, and Twilight’s blood ran cold. “Yer far too trustin’, ya know that?” Suddenly, Applejack leapt at her as another flash of green filled Twilight’s vision. Before she could react, Twilight was pinned. “I do so enjoy tricking you ponies like that,” Chrysalis said with a sneer. “You're so eager to see a friendly face, you forget it might be me smiling at you.” Chrysalis leaned in so close that Twilight could smell each breath Chrysalis took. They stank like something which had been festering in a corner somewhere, unnoticed. “You were never going to win this, little princess. You don't have the guile. Or the guts to truly fight. None of your kind do! And what fight they have in them will be beaten out when I rule Equestria. “You'll get to see it all, too. Having you captured and broken is too valuable to make killing you worth it. Thankfully, your little student doesn't have that going for her. You'll watch her die, Twi-" Her monologue was cut off by a beam of pure energy slamming into her head. Twilight panted as the fear and adrenaline refused to leave her system. She couldn't see clearly because of the light from her spell. It felt like Chrysalis had stopped moving entirely, but hadn't been thrown off despite the blast. As her vision began to clear, she felt liquid seeping through the fur on her chest. When she could finally make out what was in front of her, she understood why. There was simply nothing left where Chrysalis's head was supposed to be, and a sickly green fluid was dripping from the remains. A few moments passed in silence before the body collapsed on top of Twilight with a soft thud. She took the body in her telekinesis and threw it off herself. As her mind finally slowed with the fight over, she could only think about one thing. I killed her. It had been automatic. Chrysalis had pushed just hard enough to finally break Twilight's resolve, and now the changeling queen was dead. Twilight sat on her haunches, took one ragged breath in, and let a sob back out. She'd just crossed a threshold, one she had hoped to never cross. She would be a killer for the rest of her life. And some slightly more rational part of her that she wasn't listening to told her it was necessary. That Equestria would praise her for this. It had come down to a Princess of Equestria or one of the greatest monsters to ever live, and she had survived. And yet here she was, weeping A strange, disgusting gurgling noise coming from the body snapped Twilight out of her despair. It was twitching, with air coming out of the neck making the wretched noise. It was almost like… laughter? Another flash of green overtook the corpse, and then Chrysalis was whole again, cackling. “Did you, heh! I mean, really! Ha! You honestly thought that a master shapeshifter would be idiotic enough to keep her vital organs in her head?” Chrysalis stood, ready to continue the fight. “And really, what was with the sobbing? You thought I was dead and you start crying!? Your enemy is slain! You should be celebrating! You ponies really don't know how to fight worth a damn!” Twilight breathed heavily as she got back on her hooves. This was already the worst fight she’d ever been in, and it wasn't about to get any easier. > 2: The Old Homeland: Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tink. Sandy Gem did not care for this job. Well, she did like the work, just not where it was taking place currently. Her name alone should tell anypony that she preferred deserts to the frozen north, but somepony had discovered some pottery during a poorly advised ski trip, so here she was. Tink. Her pick swung, cracking the ice beneath her. “Hey Sandy, any luck over there?” called one of the other archaeologists. Tink. She put the pick down. “Gee, Buried Treasure, have you heard me yell ‘thank Celestia?’” “Um, no?” “Well how about ‘Luna’s wondrous dotted flank?’” Sandy didn’t actually think Luna’s flank was that wondrous, but it was a common enough expression. “I get it, you haven’t found anything,” Buried Treasure said defensively. “No no, I think we need to go over this just in case I do find something, Buried.” Sandy wasn’t even sure where this was coming from at this point. She liked Buried Treasure. They’d worked together amicably for years. But her frustration with her situation was boiling over at this point. No stopping it now. “In the event that I find something in this Tartarus-forsaken wasteland, you will definitely hear me say something wildly inappropriate and disrespectful to our oligarchs. Basically, if you hear something that sounds vaguely sexual in the same sentence as a Princess’s name, assume I have finally found some damned piece that justifies this dig!” In the back of her mind, Sandy knew that this was absolutely uncalled for. She’d be apologizing for it the entire rest of the night. She’d probably even need to throw in one of her few remaining packets of cocoa because a warm drink would help smooth this over. But right that moment, she needed to be heard. She needed to vent. “In conclusion, I have not found anything.” She picked up her pick and slammed it down into the ice between them. “And if you will refrain from asking going forward, then I promise you will be the first to know when I do find some scrap of evidence that anypony was dumb enough to live here!” The cracks in the ice surrounding her pick radiated outward as she stomped. After a moment, the area rumbled, and the cracks gave way to an opening beneath them. Sandy Gem and Buried Treasure fell into the hole below, only to see several huts in what appeared to be a village square around them. The area beneath the ice was hollow. Only a few feet of ice and snow had separated them from their goal. Their argument nearly forgotten, the two ponies dusted themselves off, and immediately went to investigate the nearest of the homes. Inside, there was remarkably well preserved furniture. A table, chairs, several cabinets. There was even food within, all frozen solid. The pair opened the door at the back of the kitchen, and came face to face with a pony, encased in a solid block of transparent ice. “Luna’s wondrous dotted flank, this is big,” Sandy mumbled as she surveyed the pony in front of her. Had she been looking closer, she would have noticed the mystery pony’s eye follow her around the room. > 3: The Light Reveals > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight knocked twice on the plain door. It wasn't worthy of a princess, even a former one. But Celestia had only allowed for the crown to pay for her accommodations in perpetuity if they wouldn't be too much of a drain on the coffers, Luna had done much the same, and so here Twilight was at what could generously be classified as a house. The new sense she had picked up recently told a different story, however. Everything had a glow to it. Not overpowering, but impossible to ignore. Twilight puzzled over that, as most inanimate objects she encountered had little to no such aura around them. This house burned brighter than many ponies she had seen since the auras appeared. The door swung open, revealing her old teacher. Her aura was very dim. Twilight wasn't sure what the significance of these auras were yet, but she knew it was worrying to her that Celestia was so faint. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Twilight? Our usual visit isn't for another few days." Celestia asked as she stepped aside to allow her entry into the room. The inside of Celestia's home was lavish, in stark contrast to the exterior. She had been able to convince the crown not to spend exorbitantly on her, but had not managed the same for the citizenry. Expensive gifts from grateful ponies across the country adorned every available surface. Twilight remembered having to vet a few of the more advanced magical trinkets for safety personally. While it was no great secret to the public that Celestia was living somewhere on the outskirts of Trottingham these days, the exact address was stripped from all available listings. It was also publicly announced that all mail could be forwarded to the former princess by the palace after ensuring it was safe. Nearly every gift on the shelf lacked any but the faintest aura surrounding them. Twilight spent a few minutes exchanging pleasantries with her mentor, a few hours talking with her about the drudgery of court life, the comparatively adventurous life of her niece, her former students at the friendship school, and really everyone she knew that hadn't taken up a life in governance. After a particularly dramatic story about Flurry Heart's latest escapade, a hush fell over the room and Celestia's tone became a little more pointed. "Would you like to finally get around to telling me why you came?" Twilight stiffened without saying a word, wings clamped firmly to her sides lest they pop wide open. Celestia walked over to her keepsakes and took a small but expertly crafted tiara in her magic. It was one of the few items there that had a glow about it. "I don't know if she showed you this at the time, but Rarity actually made this for me. 'So I could feel like a princess anytime I wanted to reminisce, without having to steal the regalia back,' she told me. I think it really looks great on me." Celestia sat back into her chair and put the tiara on with practiced grace from years long past, and for a moment Twilight saw a gently waving pastel rainbow instead of the loose pink bun Celestia was keeping her hair in today. "I get the impression you need me to be the princess for a few minutes today." Twilight nodded, still mute. As she fixed her gaze on Celestia's jewelry, a quietly terrifying thing happened. Its glow visibly faded and winked out to almost nothing, leaving it as inert as the other gifts on the shelf. Celestia reached out a hoof across the table to pat Twilight's shoulder. "I'm here for you, Twilight. I'm one of the only mares alive that can truly say she will always be here for you." "Everything glows. Everyone glows. I have no idea what to make of it. The tiara in your head is dimmer than when you put it on, but it glows too," Twilight blurted out. As she did, Celestia removed the item from her head to inspect it. "I glow in the mirror, too. It's going to drive me crazy if I can't get to the bottom of it. I was hoping you might know something." Rather than respond to the question directly, Celestia examined the ornament between her hooves further. "Hm," she mused. "It has lost most of its light in the last few moments. That's interesting." "You can see it too! Tell me everything!" Twilight leapt forward in a way that she normally couldn't be seen doing due to her station, planting both forehooves firmly on Celestia's shoulders. Celestia calmly returned the tiara to her head. "That glow, as far as I can tell, is a side effect of holding the power of the sun for as long as you have, or as long as I did. Light reveals, and sometimes not in the literal sense." "What does it reveal, though?" "In this case, that would be the force we call 'destiny.' Anything or anypo–" Celestia caught herself using the outdated phrase. "creature. Any creature with a significant destiny glows brighter than those that do not." Twilight felt tears beginning to well at the corners of her eyes. "Then why am I so dim? Why are you so dim? I don't like to gloat, but we've done so much during our lifetimes! And our destinies aren't 'significant' compared to other creatures'?" Celestia shook her head and gently brushed Twilight's hooves off her shoulders. They landed on the table between them limply with a thunk. "That's not exactly how it works, Twilight. When I first started seeing it, I couldn't look at myself in a mirror for years. It fades over time." "How do you suddenly just stop being important like that?" "Well to start, you give up your throne to a worthy successor." Twilight gasped slightly. Celestia continued speaking. "Destiny isn't a fixed path, even if sometimes it feels like it is. Everything in our world has some ability to exert influence over it. To change it in their own way, big or small. But it has a cost. Every act of agency uses some of your destiny. And it never comes back. We've had very exciting lives, so we've used a lot. Thankfully, we had a lot to use." Twilight thought about that a moment, then cocked her head. "How does an object have agency then? The tiara did something to use most of its destiny just now." "Objects that just passively exist use theirs a little differently. They don't typically get much, and they usually use it to just exist. But sometimes an object is so influential by just existing that it has a destiny brighter than most ponies." "Like your house." "Yes, Twilight. Because my new home will likely play host to a great many conversations about weight, important things that will shape the realm, and the space such conversations occur in can frame how you view them. Or," Celestia placed her tiara on the table as almost all of what remained of its aura faded even faster, "maybe seeing your mentor put on the crown for a few minutes makes you take her words more seriously than you otherwise would have. And the weight that moment carries is heavier than the average object's general existence." Twilight couldn't suppress her next question. "What's the brightest object you've ever seen?" "Brightest single thing? Let's discount the obvious ones. The palace, the Elements of Harmony, various famous works of art. Are we counting plant life as things since they don't move?" Twilight nodded. "Then the brightest thing I've ever seen was a very old, big, beautiful tree in the palace garden. It's still there, if you haven't done any significant landscaping." "A tree? I've been to the garden since I started seeing these things, and most of the plants are dull out there." "Oh, I was baffled for the longest time why it was so bright. I was even more baffled when I saw it expend nearly all of its power all at once." Celestia smiled wistfully. "A scholar from Coltsterworth was passing through Canterlot on his way to a university in southern Equestria, and I'd invited him to stay at the palace for a few days. If you're curious, his aura was also quite bright. On his first morning there, he was resting in the gardens after breakfast, under that enormous tree. Between him and the tree, I could scarcely look out the window at him, the light was so blinding. But I was certain these two destinies meeting might offer an explanation for why the tree's presence was so strong. And if I'm being honest, he was easy on the eyes, too. All at once, the tree's aura dimmed to almost nothing, as an apple fell from the branches and impaled itself on his horn." "The tree that Sir Neighton was sitting under when he discovered gravity is in the palace garden? I would have visited!" Celestia nodded and laughed. "I was furious at the time, too. All that anticipation, and this grand act of destiny is pelting a nice stallion with fruit? Not even 'pelting!' A single inconvenient apple! It wasn't until he caught me looking out the window and ran to tell me his brilliant discovery that I realized how much the world we live in had just changed. Sir Neighton's destiny faded somewhat in that moment, but not as much as I would have expected. He was truly a marvel." Twilight sat back in her chair, relaxing for the first time in several minutes. "So I shouldn't be worried about what's left of my destiny, then?" "Oh, you should be panicking quite frankly." She immediately complied. "What? Why?" "Because it takes a lot of that destiny to shape world events. You still have a robust reserve by most standards, but you'll be needing to use it every day until you take off the crown." Celestia's gaze turned to steel as she looked Twilight dead in the eye. "You will need to use every ounce of guile and cunning you have to influence things as subtly as possible, to avoid burning out everything you have." "But the tree's influence was subtle, or your tiara–" "Even a subtle change caused by an object requires far more than you would typically expect." "How do I keep from running out?" Twilight asked, scared. Celestia returned to her more casual, calm demeanor like it was easy for her. "First, you need to accept that you simply will run out eventually," she said as she stood. She circled around the table and placed a comforting over Twilight's shoulders. "One of the reasons I left the throne when I did is that I didn't find it tenable to continue with how little I had left in reserve. Don't let it paralyze you. If you can do something good without causing something terrible, do it." "Anything else I should know?" "Surround yourself with other ponies who have strong destinies. There's a very good reason I almost always had at least one personal student studying with me." Celestia nuzzled the back of Twilight's neck. "Twilight, when I met you all those years ago, and you were scarcely taller than just my hoof, you shined like the midday sun in a cloudless sky. Brighter than I've ever seen in another pony. I knew the moment I saw you that your life's story would be the stuff of legend. I don't doubt you will be able to find other ponies like that, if you just look." "I did see a few like that when I went to the School for Gifted Unicorns. I remember one filly in particular who might be promising." "Start inviting her to private lessons. I'm sure any foal there would be thrilled at the chance. Who is she?" "An adorable young lady. Pink coat, orange mane. Her name's Luster Dawn." > Pinkie's Streaming Career > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Twilight," Pinkie said with a sigh, "I don't think the other girls appreciate that I started streaming on the human internet." Twilight turned to face her friend. "What makes you say that?" "When I told them I made an account to start streaming, they all ran! And started looking for cover!" Twilight frowned. "Maybe it was something about the way you told them?" "No way!" "Well, what did you tell them?" Pinkie huffed. "All I told them was that I have a Twitch!"